04/02/2019

*RING* The alarm on Yuri’s cell rings, earning a groan and smack across the table top from the tired and groggy girl. 7:25AM. Yuri is jolted awake from her deep slumber, heavily regretting the additional two hours she spent catching up on the latest chapter of her favorite webtoon the previous night. Looking around her cozy bedroom, lined with plush toys from one end to the other, she rubs the sleep out of her eyes. ‘ ’ the girl mutters under her breath as she rushes to the bathroom, pulling an orange toothbrush from its holder and shoving it into after applying a layer of toothpaste. Her morning assembly starts at 7:45AM and she certainly wasn’t gonna make it if she went with her usual morning routine, which would usually take her the whole 20 minutes she had left. Within 5 minutes, she was done, including a light layer of simple make up. ‘wow, record time’ Stuffing her undone homework into her backpack, she notices an envelope sitting on her desk that wasn’t there the previous night. She dismisses it in her rush, making a mental note to ask her mother about it after school. It was a surprisingly sunny morning, uncharacteristic for the season of winter, it’s almost like the season changed for just a day. Rays from the sun hitting harshly upon the asphalt of her driveway was making her consider taking the day off. Shuddering, she remembers the warning from her school’s disciplinary teacher ‘Jo Yuri, if you’re absent without valid reason just once more, I promise you will be absent from this school for the rest of your school years.’ Yuri certainly isn’t a delinquent, hell she isn’t even that bad of a student. She consistently passes her exams, never really struggling to keep up. However, she had the terrible habit of arbitrarily deciding to skip classes, for whatever reason, she could never seem to defeat the urge of crawling back in bed. Mounting her trusty bicycle, she resolved herself to make it on time, pedaling forward with all her might. She could feel the heat getting to her, the sweat threatening to drench her uniform, but she pushes on, occasionally slowing down to catch a breath. 7:43AM, she was surprisingly just one short road away from school, another record time today. Pedaling past another student in the same school uniform, she yells out loud ‘If you don’t hurry, you’re gonna be late!’ without sparing a glance for the student behind. 7:46AM, she was at her seat for the assembly. Yuri had barely made it through the school gates before it closed. Her hair was in a huge mess, the make up she had rushed to put on already threatening to bid its farewell, she was also drenched in sweat but she was thankful she wasn’t late. Here’s to another uneventful school day.

Yuri managed to make it through the first four classes of the day. First was math, which she didn’t really mind, then science and two periods of physical education. She was for the first time glad that she had p.e in the morning, at least she could wash up and reapply her makeup before lunch. She was seated at the table with her two friends, Yabuki Nako and Honda Hitomi, who were both temporary residents of japanese descent. They had one more in their friend group, Kim Minju but the girl would more often than not be spending time with second year Kim Chaewon instead of her friends. Having skipped breakfast in the morning, Yuri was stuffing mouthfuls of her meal between her lips when a familiar figure approached her table, towing another along. ‘Hyewon unnie, do you not have friends? Why do you always spend lunch with your juniors?’ Hitomi jabbed at the older girl, causing a fit of giggles from her two friends. ‘Yah Hiichan, I have friends okay? In fact, I’m here to introduce one to my adorable juniors.’ Hyewon gestures to the girl hidden in her shadow. Long straight black hair resting on her shoulders, pearly brown eyes that looked deceivingly bright. Yuri nearly chokes on her food looking at the girl. Her lower jaw hanging agape, eyes fixed in an admiring gaze. ‘This is Choi Yena, a childhood friend, Third year. She transferred from my hometown today. Treat her well, she’s being a little bit shy.’ Hyewon introduces. Yuri could swear on her bicycle that she’s never seen anyone quite like Yena. Apart from her hair and eyes, her lips that pouted at Hyewon’s remark was exceedingly adorable, along with the glasses that perched low on her nose bridge. She was wearing a different uniform from the others, probably because it’s her first day, but somehow the different uniform made her shine that much brighter. Yuri couldn’t stop staring with still wide open, debris of food sitting within. She snapped out her daze when she heard Nako calling. ‘Yuri?’ She quickly purses her lips back together, humming in response. ‘Introduce yourself? What are you doing staring?’ Nako chuckles, holding back a giggle. Glaring at Nako, Yuri hurriedly introduces herself. ‘H-hi. J-Jo Yuri. Ah. T-that’s my name.’ She stutters with a shy smile but all she got in response was a curt nod. Yena seemed completely uninterested in anything she had to say. The lunch was pretty awkward, Yuri couldn’t stop staring at the older girl and really wanted to converse with her. The other girls were engaged in their usual banter, having outbursts of laughter every now and then. Yuri wasn’t taking notice though, she was far too immersed in Yena. She ultimately gave up when she realised Yena just wasn’t interested in conversation.

Yuri was cycling the long way home when she notices a familiar silhouette, the girl looked very much like the one she had passed when she was almost late in the morning. Long black hair resting on her shoulders, she quickly realises it’s Yena. The older girl is crouching by the side road, playing with what seems like an abandoned puppy. She’s grasping the puppy in her arms, holding onto it like a fragile piece of glass art, seeming to be afraid to hurt it in the slightest. Her lips are pouty, but her smile is wide, probably wider than even Hyewon has seen, speaking in a baby voice to the puppy. ‘Who’s a gooood boyyy? You are! You are! Awww you adorable little sweetie.’ Her demeanour is completely different from it was in the afternoon, rather than a cold stoic expression, it was a bright and lovely one. Yuri feels her heart thump slightly faster than her doctor would approve of, filling her face with a blush of pink. She quickly cycles off, afraid to be noticed.

After parking her bike by the doorway, Yuri made her way into the house. The rest of the day went by quickly, with nothing of note occurring. Even if anything did happen, Yuri was way too out of her mind to take notice. She plopped down on her bed, thinking about Yena, she’d been living rent free in Yuri’s head all day. Her hair, her eyes, her nose and god help Yuri her lips. There was no way she was evicting Yena from her brain anytime soon. The look she saw with the puppy was THE absolute cutest thing she’s ever seen, she would bet on her life. Willing herself to finish up her homework, Yuri dragged her backpack to the desk, snapping out of the daydream she was immersing herself in. There she saw the envelope that was resting atop her desk, addressed to one Jo Yuri. She completely forgot about it, but this time she feels an urge to read it. Opening it, she realised the handwriting within was eerily similar to her own, albeit slightly neater. Reading it, she let out a gasp, jaws splitting apart and hanging low.

To: Jo Yuri

Hey! This letter is probably gonna be hella weird and awkward, but please trust the things I say. The thing is, I’m you, Jo Yuri, from 10 years into the future. It’s the fourth of February 2019 where you are now isn’t it? or at least it should be, if things go according to plan. It’s 2029 where I’m from. Anyways, you probably won’t believe this, so I’ll just say a few things to you. Today you woke up late didn’t you? You’ll be rushing to class on your bicycle as per usual but don’t worry, you’ll make it. Thankfully we had physical education early that day, god how awful would it have been to meet Yena in the state we were in. Right, Yena, Choi Yena. Hyewon unnie will be introducing her to you and the girls during lunch, they’re childhood friends. Please watch yourself and don’t look stupid in shock of her beauty. I did that myself, so you really don’t have to do the same. Just introduce yourself normally and be confident. It’ll be difficult but try your best to speak to her, if you don’t, it’ll take much too long before you two become friends and you know you don’t want that. Take a leap of faith Yuri. Don’t be too shocked and I hope your first meeting goes smoothly.

P.S. Make sure you take the long way home today, you won’t regret it!

From: Jo Yuri (but older)

Gathering her thoughts, Yuri quickly realises this is most likely some sort of prank. How could these things happen in real life? Yuri certainly isn’t the main character in some cringey fanfic. The usage of her favorite phrase is also suspicious, after all, she says it to her friends all the time. ‘Take a leap of faith’ She quickly dismisses the letter, stuffing it into her desk side drawer. She didn’t want whatever pranks her friends had in store to distract her so she proceeds with her homework. After a painfully long two hours, Yuri decides enough is enough. Shoving her incomplete homework into her backpack, she decides to retire for the night. Laying on her bed, Yena was still drifting within her brain. Her hair, her eyes, her nose and god help Yuri her lips. Realising she was thinking the same damn things repeatedly the entire day, she shuts her eyes, attempting to lull herself into slumber.

05/02/2019

7:00AM, Yuri reads off her cell. Thank god she woke up on time today, she needed the extra bit of time to make sure she wouldn’t be another heaping pile of mess from rushing to school. There aren't any p.e classes today after all. Dragging her lethargic self, Yuri quickly finishes her morning preparations. 7:17AM. Deciding she has some time to spare, she sits herself by her desk and stones for a second. She notices a familiar envelope at the same spot on her desk. She quickly tears into it before reading, letting out a scoff at her friends’ insistence on the prank.

To: Jo Yuri

Hi again! Hopefully things went better for you yesterday than it did for me. You woke up early today didn’t you? Take the spare time to grab some jellies from the kitchen, you might need them at school later. Your day should be pretty normal as per usual, Hyewon will be bringing Yena along for lunch again so don’t worry. Talk to her more today, don’t miss a single second you have with her. Hope you’ll have a better day than I did!

P.S. Before second period starts, make sure you finish up your math homework. Ms Oh is surprisingly not gonna forget about it this time.

From: Jo Yuri (but older TT)

Yuri couldn’t believe her friends would go to such lengths just to prank her but ultimately decides to ignore the letter, not wanting to give them the satisfaction of success. However, before leaving home, she decides to grab a handful of jellies, it wouldn’t hurt to have some to munch on during class. When she meets up with the girls (including Minju, only because Chaewon isn’t in their class), Yuri decides not to say anything about the letter for the same reason. Much to her surprise, before math period ended, Ms Oh asked for their math homework. ‘This teacher never remembers her deadlines, why must she remember it only when I don’t do it urgh’ She sighs in her head. Much to her surprise, Nako and Hitomi had theirs complete but thankfully Minju didn’t, so she had someone to accompany her to the staff room after school. When lunch time rolled around, Yuri was admittedly a little excited, if the girls wanted to carry on with the prank, Hyewon was sure to bring Yena along. This time Yuri was prepared, she made sure to touch up her makeup and redo her hair in the washroom before heading to the cafeteria. Unsurprisingly, Hyewon showed up seconds after the girls sat down, along with Yena. Once again, Yuri had her eyes fixed on Yena, her hair, her eyes, her nose and god help Yuri her lips. This time around, Yuri decided to be less obvious with her admiration, participating in the girl’s conversation (but distracted all the same). ‘... so we had a big fight that day! It was all over some stupid jellies too.’ Hyewon chuckles. ‘Yah, Kang Hyewon, don’t tell the story like that, it wasn’t just the jellies alright.’ Yena scoffs with a pout, bringing much surprise to the table. It was the first time they got to hear her husky tone of voice. ‘Unnie, your voice sounds so good, why don’t you speak more often.’ Yuri blurts out without thinking while busy gazing at the older girl’s adorably pouty lips. Letting out a low whistle Hyewon says ‘Wowww, Yuri ah! That was smooth.’ bringing the younger girl’s attention back. A blazing red flush creeps up to Yuri’s face, heart beating around a thousand and two times faster now. She really didn’t mean to say that out loud, she’s not exactly great at flirting. ‘, I didn’t mean it like that.’ She rushes to pull the jellies she had brought along out of her backpack, shoving them in Hyewon’s direction. ‘Shut up and eat Unnie.’ At the sight of the jellies, Yuri could see Yena’s eyes light up, scrambling for the jellies the same way Nako and Hitomi did. ‘How adorable, I guess she really likes jelly.’ Yuri sighs adoringly in her head.

Yuri manages to make it home in one piece, ignoring the embarrassing moment she had during lunch. Yena started talking more after the jellies were brought out (at least that’s what Yuri was forcing herself to think, she didn’t want to overthink and assume it was because of her embarassing comment), sharing more about her childhood with Hyewon. The two were inseparable growing up, Yena would always accompany Hyewon wherever she went. Yuri thought it was so adorable the way she phrased it as ‘accompanying her’ despite how obvious it was that she was simply following the other girl because she didn’t have any other friends. Yena shared about how the two would head to the arcade every single day and how she was left behind to roam the arcade alone when Hyewon suddenly moved to Seoul, all while pursing her lips into a pout. Yuri couldn’t wipe the image of Yena excitedly speaking of her past, it was completely opposite of her first impression. Though she enjoyed it a lot more than she would have liked to admit. That night in her sleep, Yuri was silently swearing to the heaven’s above that she wants to hear Yena’s voice every single day for the rest of her life.

06/02/2019

Once again, Yuri managed to wake up on time today. Happily preparing for school, she realises it wasn’t the disciplinary teacher’s threats that were keeping her excited for school, it was definitely lunchtime that she was thinking about. Grinning to herself while packing for school, she silently thinks to herself ‘Man, I am so falling in love.’ Much to her surprise, the same familiar brown envelope is right there on the desk. Yuri is starting to find this ridiculous, how insistent are they on this prank? She sat down and ripped into it with annoyance.

To: Jo Yuri

Good morning to you or me or you that is me. I hope you believe my past two letters, I’ve realised after posting it that if it was me I would probably have assumed that either Nako or Hyewon unnie was pulling a prank. I would give you the lottery numbers of the day, both to convince you and to help you be rich (who hasn’t thought of time travelling to strike the lottery right?) but unfortunately lottery results aren’t kept online for 10 years. But please, you have to believe me, if you don’t, I won’t be able to change what happened then there wouldn’t be any point to me doing this. Anyways, you’ll bump into Yena on your way to school today, she won’t be as open as she was yesterday but please keep talking to her, offer her jelly if you have to! Nako will make a surprising offer today, I’m not sure if the different actions you’ve taken would have changed the past but if Yena chooses not to go, then make sure you talk her into it like I did heh. Enjoy your day, there’s no homework due right!

From: Jo Yuri (but OLDER)

At this point Yuri is starting to doubt herself, is this letter for real? To Yuri, it doesn’t seem like something the girls would be able to come up with. She steels herself and decides to leave for school, ‘If I really do meet Yena on the way and if her demeanour really is different from yesterday, I might have to believe this nonsense.’ 

Much to her surprise, Yuri really does meet Yena on the way to school. She was slowly cycling along the bicycle path, huddling into her winter coat, the weather is turning much too cold again, winter is a pain in seoul. She skids to a stop next to Yena, mustering her courage to greet her. ‘Morning Unnie!’ She grins with a bright smile. Yena’s expression brightens for a split second, not enough for Yuri to notice, but quickly falling back, opting to offer a nod in response. Yuri gets off her bike and strolls next to the older girl, purposefully matching their footsteps. ‘You can go ahead you know, you have a bicycle, you don’t have to walk.’ Yena says coldly. Yuri pouts, feeling slightly hurt by the older girl’s words but she recalled the letter and how it told her to try harder. She whips out a couple of jellies from her pocket, holding it towards Yena. ‘Unnie, if you chase me away, I’ll be eating all this on my own okay?’ Yuri teases as she pretends to get back on the bike. Yena sees the jellies and just can’t manage to keep her stoic behaviour. ‘Wait! I want some…’ She says, before trailing into a whisper, a pout starting to form on her lips. God, Yuri just can’t stop her heart from doing a triple backflip at the sight, she clutches the jellies tighter, thanking the letter. The two slowly strolled towards the school gate, enjoying the jellies together while Yuri shared with Yena all the grumpy old teachers to look out for in school. Yena just silently ate her jellies the whole way. During lunch, the 5 girls sat together again. ‘Unnie! How about we all go on an outing this friday? It’s half day so we could go to the amusement park!’ Nako exclaims. Yuri realises the letter is legitimate at this point, there’s no way Nako could act that well, especially since none of them have been probing her for a reaction. She shoots a glance towards Yena, wondering if she would choose to opt out. While the other girls all raised their hands in agreement, Yuri could see Yena look at her briefly, before smiling and raising her hand as well. ‘Does this mean the future changed? or was this meant to happen?’ Yuri thought to herself as she raised her hand. ‘and why the hell did she smile at me?!?! I’m going to have a goddamn heart attack girl.’ 

08/02/2019

Yuri woke up excited once more, rushing straight to her desk for the letter. The letter from yesterday didn’t say much and accordingly, Yuri’s day was pretty boring too. She got to speak to Yena a little during lunch but apart from that, nothing really happened. But today is different, Yuri is sure of that. After all, they’re all going to the amusement park today. Yuri could feel a grin forming on her face as she sat down in front of the brown envelope.

To: Jo Yuri

You must be excited huh, it’s finally friday! Classes will be easy in the morning, the teachers seemed to all want to slack off. Just go with the flow for the day, I won’t spoil the outing for you, but I will tell you one thing, Yena will be wearing a Black denim jacket and white top, paired with a black ripped jeans and a black baseball cap. Be careful not to drool when you meet up at the park! Oh and one more thing, try your best to stop her from leaving when she says she needs to go. Enjoy!

From: Jo Yuri (yes, the older one. sighpie)

Upon reading about Yena’s outfit, Yuri jumps straight to her closet, flipping through at a high pace. Finding her black denim jacket, she tosses it aside, preparing to don it along with a white top, black ripped jeans and a white baseball cap. She smiles to herself, happy that her future self provided her a chance for a ‘coincidental’ couple fit. She puts in on and rushes to school, she’s taking a bus today, wouldn’t want to bring a bicycle along the entire day. It’s dress down day for Yuri’s school and everybody around her seemed to be walking a runway in Paris. She looks at the two japanese and is glad to see that they look pretty casual, at least she won’t be out of place in class. Minju on the other hand is all dolled up, ‘she might as well be attending her own wedding.’ Yuri scoffs internally. Hyewon had previously told the younger girls to go ahead and that they would meet at the park as the older girls had cleaning duty. The moment the bell rang, the three girls excitedly scrambled for the school gate, completely ignoring Minju who was calling out for them. Yuri is excited for a completely different reason from the other two, but she chooses to stay quiet. 

Upon arriving at the park, the three were greeted with a swarm of humans, typical for a friday afternoon. Many students chose the amusement park as their after school venue. While waiting, the three engaged in casual conversation, about the weather, about school and of course, about Yena. ‘Soooo, Jo Yuri. When are you gonna tell us huh?’ Hitomi abruptly asked. Thinking that they were talking about the letter and that it might actually have been a prank, Yuri was flustered. ‘Tell you about what?’ ‘What do you mean what?! You are obviously absolutely positively super ing gay over Choi Yena!’ Nako exclaims impatiently. The two japanese couldn’t stand the way Yuri was moping around, it had only been four days since they met, but the two could see how distracted Yuri was 24/7 and how she couldn’t keep her eyes off of Yena. ‘What?! No way! I-I’m not…’ Yuri stutters without confidence, cheeks turning a rosy hue of red. ‘HAH! I KNEW IT! Sooooo, what are you gonna do about it? Today is the perfect chance to cozy up to her you know? Act all afraid of the rides and scream into her embrace.’ Hitomi teases with a wide grin. ‘Shush Hiichan, they’re here.’ Nako whispers just loud enough for the two to hear as they turn to see Hyewon and Yena approaching them. Yuri swears to god she almost lost her eyeballs the second she laid eyes on Yena (they were on the verge of popping out). She was in fact wearing the exact outfit the letter described. Her heart was racing, hurriedly wiping the drool that was just about to drip off her chin. By the time Yuri regained her senses, the group were already in a queue for a ride. Yes, she was THAT enchanted by Yena’s looks and of course, she was staring the whole way without intending to. ‘So, who’s gonna say it?’ Hyewon cuts into an ongoing conversation. The other girls just give her a look of confusion. ‘Urgh! Is nobody going to point out how Jo Yuri and Choi Yena are literally wearing the most obvious couple outfit?!?! I’ve been waiting the past 15 minutes for someone to bring it up jesus christ.’ Hyewon continues. Nako and Hitomi promptly snap their gaze towards the two similarly dressed girls, before letting out a gasp. ‘Holy you’re right!’ They both exclaimed in sync. Yuri immediately feels her face turning beet red, looking straight at Yena and intensely regretting her impulsive decisions. ‘It’s a coincidence. But I like it, seems like we’re fated’ the older girl says with a smirk, earning a wave of Oohs and low whistles from the other girls. Yuri’s face at this point is beyond red, if there was a color brighter and redder than red, that would be the word to describe. She buries her face in her hands and silently utters ‘me too’ in hopes that the older girl wouldn’t hear. But the widening smirk on Yena’s face suggests otherwise.

‘Act all afraid of rides and scream into her embrace.’ Yuri recalls Nako’s words from earlier snickering to herself as Yena screams at the top of her lungs aboard the roller coaster. They’ve been on multiple rides and each ride without fail, Yena was belting the loudest of yells from within her belly. Yuri couldn’t help but to smile lovingly at the older girl while she clutches the arm guards tightly. Feeling a sudden burst of courage, Yuri reaches out to hold Yena’s hand within hers. Thankfully, Yena was too focused on losing her mind to notice the younger girl’s face flushing beet red but she certainly noticed the warm hand, clutching onto it tightly like she was clinging for dear life. The two wouldn’t stop clinging to each other the whole day, the other girls at this point had just given up, thankfully they had Minju with them before so it wasn’t something they weren’t used to. Sometimes, Yena would put an arm around Yuri’s shoulder, poking at her cheek and teasing her. Other times, Yuri would hook her arm into Yena’s, claiming to be helping her support her shaky legs. One thing was for sure, the two were absolutely falling into a state of infatuation. It was already 5:45PM when Yena stepped away to receive a call, when she returned she apologetically told the girls she had to leave first. A look that could be confused with both fear and anguish was resting on her face, her eyes narrowing as she speaks. ‘I’m so sorry, but I have something I need to do…’ She apologised with a crestfallen expression. The other girls were understanding and quickly told her to go. But Yuri remembered the letter, ‘try your best to stop her from leaving’ , much to her friends' surprise, she quickly reaches out to grab Yena’s hand, ‘stay with us abit more?’ she utters. All Yena did in response was to gently pull her hand off, smiling before walking off in a rush. ‘The smile was forced.’

09/02/2019

It’s a Saturday, which usually means waking up at ungodly hours for Yuri. She was up all night tossing and turning, thoughts flipping between excitement and worry. She was feeling all giddy from the amount of tame flirting that went on in the afternoon. But at the same time, she couldn’t stop thinking about the letter, cursing the fact that she couldn’t write back and ask more. Why did her future self want her to stop Yena? Why did Yena leave early? Despite barely sleeping, she still woke up to her 7:00AM alarm, determined to read her letter.

To: Jo Yuri

Hey, I hope you enjoyed the outing yesterday? Did you manage to stop Yena from leaving? I don’t think she would have even if you tried so don’t worry about it, just bask in your giddy little infatuation. I didn’t tell you this yesterday as I didn’t want to ruin your fun but you won’t be seeing Yena for a couple of days. It happens once in a while, she’ll stop attending school for a couple of days or even up to a week, but you’ll find out why eventually. Along with that, I won’t be writing to you too, I have some things I have to attend to the next few days. They are important. Take care.

From: Jo Yuri (the older one)

‘what the hell?’ Yuri couldn’t hold back her disappointment, not only were her questions left unanswered, she now has more questions than she started with. Yuri dives into her bed, resigning. She knows she can’t get any answers and all she can think of was how she wouldn’t get to see Yena for a few days. Yuri can’t even stomach the thought now, heaving a heavy sigh as she falls back to sleep. 1:00PM, Yuri jolts awake, recalling the crucial detail she had forgotten, she had gotten Yena’s contact number the day before. During lunch, the two were off in their own world, hands brushing across one another’s and feeding each other. Just thinking about it puts a fond smile on Yuri’s lips. Scrambling for her phone, she quickly grabs it and types.

To: Yena 🥰

Hello, want to hang out today? 🥺

She sits and waits, hands clutching her phone, she could feel the butterflies kicking up a storm in her gut. Much to her dismay, the day had already ended without a reply. Not wanting to seem clingy, she opts against sending another message.

15/02/2019

Yena had been absent the past four days, leaving the girls awfully worried without any news. Yuri was especially worried because of the letter from this morning. She was also just a little bit disappointed that the cookies she baked for Valentine’s day went to waste.

To: Jo Yuri

Hey, it’s been awhile. Yena comes back today, so be ready to greet her with a smile. She’ll seem a bit out of it, similar to how she was when you first met her. Offer her jellies and smiles. Don’t try to probe too much when she chooses not to tell you where she’s been. When I did it, I think it made her distance herself from me abit. Anyways, enjoy meeting your little crush again!

From: Jo Yuri (yea yea yea older)

Yuri was afraid the progress their friendship made last friday would be reverted, she desperately wants to be closer, not drift further. It’s 30 minutes to lunchtime and Yuri is way too out of it to focus in class. Much to her surprise, when lunchtime rolled around, Yena wasn’t all that different from last friday.Apart from the fact that she was bundled up in a large jacket, arms buried in sleeves, she was still bright. Yuri decided that the different actions she took must have changed the timeline, but she couldn’t care less as long as Yena’s back. Yuri didn’t miss any chance she could to cozy up to Yena, pretending like she’s cold (she wasn’t, she had a thick jacket on too), she snuggles up to Yena every chance she gets, ignoring the teasing from her friends. Yena doesn’t pull back or avoid, she seems to rather enjoy it. The two were in their own world the entire time. ‘Unnie, did you see my message?’ the younger asked. ‘Oh man I’m so sorry Yuri, I damaged my phone while I was away, it’s at the repair shop now.’ Relieved that Yena wasn’t avoiding her, Yuri satisfiedly bids her goodbye and goes back to class. At night, Yuri giggles to herself under her blanket, thinking about Yena. ‘Maybe I should just go ahead and confess.’ She plays with the thought in her head, coming up with all kinds of scenarios before she drifts into sleep.

10/03/2019

Slightly more than a month has passed since Yuri met Yena. She has been receiving letters every now and then, detailing some parts of her day. Sometimes it would warn her of a surprise quiz, sometimes it would remind her of homework due dates but the only thing she ever pays attention to is information regarding Yena. The letters would occasionally tell her where she could bump into Yena, what she would be wearing on their dates, what she should look out for to not make a fool of herself in front of her crush. As they got closer, the two became inseparable. They also occasionally went on dates, platonic dates, but dates nonetheless. From cafes, to malls to cheap diners, they stuck close all the time. The dates would only ever last till before the sunset though, which makes Yuri nervous. She can’t stop thinking that maybe Yena has a boyfriend or girlfriend, what if she just isn’t interested in Yuri the same way? When she woke up today, she resolved herself to confess, whatever happens, it’s better than staying platonic and confused. The two had planned to meet for lunch today and Yuri is not planning to let the chance slip away.

‘Unnie, you have a grain of rice on your cheek’ Yuri chuckles as she reaches for it, wiping it off Yena’s face with her thumb. She could see the older girl blushing slightly, which causes her heart to flutter. She could see her reactions when they flirted, when Yuri interlocks their fingers, Yena would respond in kind. When Yuri gave her kisses on the cheeks, Yena would look feverish, like she was in love. Yena would occasionally even have her head snuggled into the younger girl’s shoulders, almost like she was trying to kiss her neck. Yuri’s confident the feelings are mutual. ‘Take a leap of faith Yuri’ Hesitantly, Yuri pulls both of the older girl’s hands into her own, clasping them tightly and absentmindedly drawing circles onto the back of her hand. Yena blushes, heat creeping from her collarbones to her cheekbones. ‘Unnie… the thing is… I have something I want to say….’ She slowly rolls the words off her tongue. Yena’s hands stiffen, almost like she’s seen a ghost. ‘I…’ Yena cuts her off before she can continue, pulling her hands out of the younger girl’s grasp. ‘Dont… don’t say it’ she snaps as she stands, leaving the younger girl in utter shock. Yuri can feel tears welling in her eyes, did she read the situation completely wrong? Did she mislead herself into believing that their feelings were mutual? She lets out a confused sob, visually in pain, trying to pull Yena back into her grasp. But Yena simply leaves, without a word, without so much as an explanation, she chooses to walk away. Yuri can’t see it, but Yena’s holding her tears back too, shaking as she rushes off. Yuri ended up sitting at the corner of the diner all by herself for another few hours, quietly crying with her head down.

15/03/2019

Since the failed confession, Yuri has been avidly avoiding Yena. She even resolved herself to sit with 2Kim during lunch, suffering from their endless flirting. But you know, anything is better than sitting with the girl who so cruelly rejected you before you even had a chance to confess. The other girls were confused, after bugging Yuri and Yena for a bit, they realised they weren’t getting any answers and decided to leave them to their troubles. ‘Yuri, you’re really gonna keep doing this huh? You know, Yena spends the entirety of lunch staring at you everyday. Just join us please?’ Nako pleads. Hearing that admittedly makes Yuri’s heart race just that little bit faster, but it sinks just as fast. ‘You’re not the one who was rejected so harshly, what do you know? Tell her to stop staring at me and explain herself if she still wants me around.’ Yuri snaps back, unintentionally raising her voice. She can see both Nako and Hitomi’s face forming an unsatisfied frown, but chooses to ignore it. She’s the one hurting most from this after all, she had really thought that Yena and her were on the way to something more. With one action, her hopes and crush were toppled without an explanation. Yena has approached her multiple times in the past few days, but sorry was the only word that ever left . Yuri was too frustrated and angry to deal with it and has opted to avoid her. The envelopes still show up occasionally, detailing things that don’t happen to Yuri. The timeline has really changed for her.

28/03/2019

Yena had been absent from school for a week at this point. Yuri wasn’t too surprised, the letter did say it would happen. It didn’t really affect her as much as it would have before, after all, it actually made it that much easier to avoid the older girl. It’s been weeks since the failed confession and until now the longest conversation was a ‘sorry’ from Yena and a ‘whatever’ from Yuri. What surprised her was the content of today’s letter.

To: Jo Yuri

Hey, I hope you’ve been getting along with Yena. When I was going through it, I wasn’t really that close with her at this point, we were friends sure, but the two of us never progressed much further. I hope you plucked up some courage to confess? Anyways, today will be her first day back at school in awhile, she’ll come all bundled up in bandages. Ask her, ask her what’s wrong, tell her you care and that you want to know. When I did, I wasn’t insistent enough, not a day passes where I don’t regret it I gave up far too easily, I don’t want you to do the same. Good luck Yuri.

From: Jo Yuri (older)

‘Bandages?!’ Yuri gasps internally. ‘What the is going on with her?!’ She quickly makes her way to school, looking through the second year hallways instead of heading to her own class. Unsurprisingly, she could see Yena, sitted next to Hyewon, wrapped up in a number of bandages. Yuri could feel her blood rush at the sight, she was worried and could feel Yena’s pain for herself. ‘I must really be stupidly in love’

Worried that Yena would catch her staring, Yuri quickly got a grip on herself and ran back to class, the students around her puzzled by her actions. Upon arrival, Nako and Hitomi were gazing at her in confusion while she was receiving a harsh scolding from the teacher. Tears were forming in her eyes, face turning bright red. She can barely hear anything the teacher has to say, Yena’s the only thing on her mind. She was eventually cut some slack when the tears starting streaming down her cheeks, allowing for the class to resume. The teacher is droning on and on about some sort of quadratic equation, this times this plus this plus that. Yuri was listening, only to let the words escape from the other ear. She desperately wants to know. What happened to Yena? What hurt her so badly? Why does she take breaks from school so often, does this happen every single time? What can Yuri do for her? Why did Yena reject her so harshly before and why does she still care so damn deeply? The tears won’t stop, even her textbook was turning moist. Muffled sobs were the only thing she could give in response to her friends’ concerns.

‘Yuri ah, what’s going on?’ Nako asks, eyebrows furrowed in a worried expression. The bell had just rang, most students had already packed up and headed for lunch. Yuri however, still had her head buried in her arms crying. She isn’t sure exactly what is making her tears drop nonstop, she doesn’t even know what happened to Yena, she could have just been playing with a bulldog for all she knows. But she’s worried, an unsettling feeling sitting at the back of , threatening to make her scream in pain. ‘Yuri…. talk to us, please?’ Hitomi pleads, almost on the verge of tears herself. Yuri says nothing, she can’t say anything, she doesn’t even know what to say. The four girls silently huddled together in the classroom, Minju being too worried for Yuri, decided to ditch Chaewon. None of them went for lunch, when the students were about to return, they all skipped class and went to the roof garden to cry. ‘Y-Yena, she came to school today… She’s all covered up in bandages, an obscene amount of them. She looks really really hurt. I-I want to speak to her…’ Yuri sobs, tears still flowing uncontrollably. ‘Yah, Jo Yuri. If that’s the case, go talk to her, right now. Don’t waste your time here. Take a leap of faith, go!’ Minju encourages. This was always Minju’s best feature, no matter what happens, she always know the right words to spur Yuri on and she isn’t afraid to say them. Like she was struck by a bolt of lightning, Yuri wipes her tears, dashing her way to Yena’s classroom. She doesn’t know what she’s supposed to do, what will she say? How does she even meet her while she’s in class? Either ways, she couldn’t care less, she just wants to see Yena.

‘Unnie, I’m sorry. I’m sorry for ignoring and avoiding you. I’m sorry for being so immature and close minded. Unnie. I’m sorry Unnie. Talk to me?’ Rehearsing her words, Yuri searched high and low, Yena wasn’t in the classroom nor was she anywhere in school. Yuri had already ran out of school, completely forgetting the disciplinary teacher’s warnings. She’s desperately yelling at this point, she has no idea why, it’s not like Yena’s a missing person, but she can’t control herself, something is just making her feel this way. Tears are falling, her legs are burning in pain, heavy and sore. But she pushes on, she doesn’t know what else to do but to push on. Eventually, Yuri finds the familiar silhouette she has come to love, sitting on a swing in the park. Her hair, her eyes, her nose and god help Yuri her lips. Every feature on that pretty face of hers still gets Yuri every single time, making her heart squeal and flip one too many times. But this time, her face had plasters here and there, everywhere. Yuri can feel her heart cracking, like a fragile piece of glass, cracking and threatening to shatter. When Yena looks up, locking eyes with Yuri, tears welled in her eyes. ‘Unnie!’ Yuri sprints toward Yena, enveloping the older girl in a warm hug. ‘Unnie, I-I love you.’ The words rushed out of Yuri’s mouth, she had a plan, a script, she’d rehearsed over and over again the past weeks for when she finally plucks up the courage to apologize, to speak to Yena once more. But all she could say were those three words. Together with the big warm hug, it was enough.

The girls found comfort within one another, arms lingering without any signs of seperation. Yuri’s breath was uneven, panting from the crying and the running and the desperation while Yena’s was surprisingly calm. Despite the tears streaming down her face, the sobs she’s trying so desperately to hold back, Yena is calm, in Yuri’s arms. ‘Yuri… thank you. Thank you so much.’ Yena mutters in between her sobs. Caressing her head and rubbing her cheeks on her hair, Yuri stays silent, waiting patiently for Yena to stop crying. After what seemed like an eternity, Yena finally speaks up. ‘Yuri ah, I’m a complete , I don’t deserve your concern.’ Yuri’s heart shatters, she knew how warm Yena is, the day she saw her eyes light up at the sight of jellies, the day she saw her hold the puppy in her arms, the day they spent at the amusement park. They hadn’t known each other long, but Yuri knew enough. Yuri has seen enough to know full well that Yena deserves it all, her love, her care, her concern. ‘Unnie, I’m here for you. I’ll be here for you. No matter what. Please, tell me what’s wrong.’ Yuri pleads. ‘Yuri… you don’t have to help me. You can’t help me. Being here with me now is more than enough, but I can’t drag you into my problems. You don’t deserve it. I-I-I wanted to hug you, to tell you I like you just as much, that your warmth is something I’ve been missing all my life. But I can’t, I can’t make you a victim of my circumstances.’ ‘Why? Why can’t you unnie? I’m willing to stay by your side, please don’t reject me again.’ ‘Thank you.’ Yena ultimately says, flashing a wide smile at Yuri. She stands up and softly pecks Yuri on her forehead, separating the two from their embrace. ‘I have to go now. Thank you, really.’ Yena says as she just turns and leaves. ‘Choi Yena! If you walk off right now, if you walk off again. I won’t come crying to you another time! Please unnie, just take a leap of faith?’ Yuri yells desperately, to which Yena just smiles and walks off regardless.

29/03/2019

After yesterday, Yuri went home defeated, her phone was blowing up with calls and messages from her friends. But she couldn’t care less, her heart was once again broken, but this time, she wasn’t hurt, or angry, she was disappointed. In herself, her inability to be by Yena’s side and in Yena who wasn’t brave enough to take the leap. She resigned to her bed, deciding that there’s nothing she can do, she couldn’t force herself into Yena’s life if the older girl didn’t want her in. She woke up today feeling fatigued, legs cramping, eyes puffy. She dragged her heavy feet towards the desk, seeing a brown envelope atop. 

To: Jo Yuri

Hi, how did it go yesterday? I sincerely hope it went better for you than it did for me. I’ve always felt like that was the day I regretted the most. If i’d done things differently, if I’d been braver, if I took a leap of faith, maybe I could have made things easier. Maybe, just maybe, things wouldn’t have ended up the way it did. I’ll tell you about it in the future. I’ll be away for awhile, I’ll write occasionally, but I hope things have changed enough for you to no longer need my advice.

From: Jo Yuri

‘Nothing changed. I can’t change anything.’ Yuri mutters under her breath. She’s worried, she’s desperate to know, hell she really really wants to be able to send letters to the future now. But she has no idea how any of this works, she has zero idea what she can do to change things.

19/4/2019

Nothing changed on Yuri’s end. She did return to her friends at lunch, much to their delight. She did continue speaking to Yena, much like how they used to before she tried to confess. They went on dates again, platonic dates, but ever so clingy nonetheless. Yuri didn’t know what she could do to change things, so she’s trying her best to go back to the way they were. Like Yena said, maybe being there for her would be enough. Today is another date day, the two have plans to head to Yuri’s house after school for some movie binging. Yuri didn’t bring her bicycle today, she didn’t even bring her bus card along, telling Yena she wants to walk. She wants to spend as much time as she could with her, The two held hands as they slowly strolled home, fingers tightly interlocked. ‘Unnie, don’t our fingers fit together perfectly?’ Yuri chuckles with a shy smile, tucking her bangs behind her ear with her free hand. ‘Heh, they do don’t they?’ Her hair, her eyes, her nose and god help Yuri her lips. It feels like everything she could ever ask for. When they got home, the two were snuggled up to one another on the couch, watching taiwanese romance movies. Yuri would occasionally sneak a kiss on Yena’s cheeks when things got romantic on screen and Yena would snuggle up to Yuri that much closer. It was bliss, the way their heads rested on one another, the way their fingers interlocked so perfectly, the way Yuri’s kisses landed so softly on Yena’s cheeks. They were happy, both of them are.

22/04/2019

Yuri woke up refreshed today, she had a date with Yena the day before, at the cafe, and she enjoyed every second of it as she always does. She’s rushing to pack up, not being able to wait another second to see Yena. The two had picked up the habit of meeting halfway and strolling to school together (leaving Yuri’s dear bicycle extremely lonely). Yuri reads the letter on her table, it’s the first one in a long long while. 

To: Jo Yuri

I have something important to tell you today. Please calm down and not freak out when you read this. On the 29th of April, Yena will pass away. I wish I could tell you the exact circumstances, I wish I could tell you what happened that day. But I have no clue. Yena stopped coming to school on the 22nd, which is today for you. We thought it was the usual, that she would take a few days break and come back like she never left. But we never saw her again. We can’t see her ever again. She took her own life. I want to tell you the reasons, maybe you could fight to change it, do what I couldn’t accomplish. But things must have changed in different ways in your timeline, the actions you’ve taken with my advice must have changed something for you. I hope the path is already different. I don’t want to burden you with information from my timeline. But if she doesn’t show up again today, I want you to go to the park near school. The one with the black swings. I did some investigating and found that the last time she showed up on any cctv in the area was there. Tonight, at 6:00PM. I pray to god everyday that the past will change, and if it hasn’t changed enough, I will pray to god once more that from here on out it will change. Please, Yuri. Please do what I could never do. Please save Yena.

From: Yuri

The only thing Yuri could choke out of her lips was a gasp, how could she believe this? Yena? The same Yena that had just cheekily kissed her forehead in public just yesterday? The same Yena that drank her coffee way too quick and just smiled like a child when she got a brain freeze? The same Yena whose hand Yuri has gotten so so so comfortable holding, the warm hands Yuri has gotten so addicted to grasping. She was gonna take her own life? Yuri can’t believe it, there’s no way it’s the same Yena. There’s no way it’s her Yena. She must have changed everything. All she can do is believe that she has done enough. She heads to school, heart thumping, fingers shaking from nerve. To her dismay, she can’t spot Yena during assembly, she can see Hyewon, but the spot where Yena would usually be is empty. During lunchtime, Yena wasn’t there either, Hyewon came alone. ‘Hyewon unnie? Where’s Yena?’ Yuri asked, lips quivering. ‘Oh Yena? She’s taking another break today.’ ‘Did she say anything? Where she’s going or when she’ll be back?’ ‘Oh Yuri, you’re closer to her than I am now.’ Hyewon rolls her eyes. ‘If you don’t know how would I know? She’s sure to be back again anyway.’ Yuri can feel her heart in , she’s getting queasy. She scrambles for the restroom, ignoring her friends’ confusion. She has her head hanging over the toilet bowl, heaving again and again. Trying to rid herself of the sickening feeling in her stomach, it doesn’t work. She’s crying, wailing, her heart is burning, tears are streaming. Fear, confusion, worry, all these emotions swirling and mixing within her. Yuri ends up collapsing in the toilet.

Yuri wakes up to the sight of a pure white ceiling, the smell of medication filling the air. She’s in the infirmary, her friends had found her and brought her here. 5:45PM, it’s late, usually the time Yena heads home after hanging out with them. Her head is swarmed in thoughts, emotions and pain. A very very sharp pain. She can’t gather herself, unable to form a coherent line of thought. But she knows one thing, the only thing she has to do, the only thing she can do, is be there for Yena, when she most needs her. She scrambles out of the bed, flinging the blanket across the room. Without even stopping for her backpack, Yuri races to the park, the park she believes Yena will be waiting at. 5:58PM, she’s been running nonstop, not even stopping to catch her breath, but she arrives at the park just on time. On time to see a wounded Yena, cuts and bruises all over her fragile body, stumbling onto the swings. Once again, Yuri sprints towards Yena, shouting her name. ‘UNNIE! PLEASE!’ Enveloping the older girl in the biggest hug, yet gently, so as to not worsen her wounds. ‘Unnie, please, talk to me. I’m begging you. What’s going on with you unnie?’ Yuri pleads and begs. Yena doesn’t respond, all she can do is cry. She cries for hours on end, it had already hit 9:30PM. Yuri held Yena in her arms the entire time, comforting her, smoothing her hand through her hair. ‘Unnie, it’s getting late. If you won’t go to the hospital, why don’t you head over to my house? You can stay the night. Please?’ Yuri pleads. Reluctantly, Yena agrees. She doesn’t want to go home and in the state she was in, there’s no way she could just sit at the park all night without someone alerting the cops. After they got home, Yuri treated Yena’s wounds with great care, trying her best to not hurt her. That night, the two girls cuddled up to each other, Yena’s head buried in Yuri’s chest, letting out a sniffle and a sob every now and then. Yuri prays and prays, again and again, sleeplessly, that within the next six days, she can do enough to change the future.

23/04/2019

The two spent the day cuddling, holding casual conversations on the bed. Thankfully, Yuri’s family was away on a trip to their hometown, so they could skip school without worry. Yena seemed a lot less shaken up than she was the day before, occasionally flirting with Yuri like nothing happened. When Yuri tried to inquire, she would skillfully avoid the topic, skirting her way around Yuri’s worries. Yuri decides that if she can’t get Yena to speak, if she can’t get Yena to open up, she’ll just have to hold her at home forcefully. After all, her future self wasn’t present when the incident occured, which means if Yuri holds her at home, the future would change.

26/04/2019

The two had spent the past few days lazing about, as each day passed, Yena would get better and better, returning to her brighter self. Yuri is counting down the days in her head. Three more days and they’ll be okay.

27/04/2019

It was sudden, the two were cuddling as usual, singing along to songs. When a certain song came on, a song depicting darkness and how one can make it through, as long as they had the help they needed. Yena broke. Tears came flowing like a dam had just exploded. She sobbed and sobbed, breath growing intimidatingly unsteady. Yuri’s at a loss, she doesn’t know what to do, so she holds Yena in her arms, just as she always does, comforting the breaking girl. ‘Take a leap of faith Yena. Tell me what’s wrong.’ Yena starts to open up, biting her lips in an attempt to hold back her tears.

‘I-I… M-my…’

‘Shhh, it’s okay Yena, take your time. I’m not rushing you. Say it when you’re ready’

‘M-my father. He… he’s abusive.’ Yena sobs. Yuri is visibly shocked, she had an inkling that something was amiss, with all the wounds Yena gets. But she never thought it was her father. Yena had always spoken about her father with pride, saying he loved her.

‘He’s been abusive since mom passed away in a car accident, at the start, it wasn’t much. He would hit me once in awhile when his anger got the better of him. But it became worse.’ The older girl continued in between her sobs. Her tears are scalding hot, all Yuri can do is hold her, wiping away the endless tears with her thumb.

‘He started drinking. Everyday. He would come home drunk, curse and swear at me. He would sometimes drink at home and when he does. It’s the bottles he fling at me.’ At this point, Yuri was feeling a mix of fear, anger and sorrow. She knew nothing all this time, continuously saying she would be there, saying she would help, but she was clueless.

‘Each time he hit me, he would apologise the day after. Begging me for forgiveness, telling me how much he loves and treasures me. I believed him, like the blind and clueless idiot I was, I continued trusting his words. But one day it struck me. He came home dead drunk in the middle of the night, rushed into my room and held a knife to my throat. I was scared less Yuri. I really thought that was it for me. But somehow, he fell over and was unconscious. Probably from the alcohol. I couldn’t live everyday in fear for my life anymore.’ At this point, Yena stopped sobbing, her tone becoming more controlled, angrier almost.

‘So i reported him, to the police, to child protection services, everything I could think of. But nothing worked. Nothing ever works. He would just be detained for a few days and end up coming back angrier than ever. So I gave in. I moved. I came all the ing way to Seoul, to get away. Away from him, away from everything.’ She’s back to sobbing, tears once again freefalling.

‘That day, at the amusement park. It was the happiest I’ve been in a long time Yuri. Nobody ever wanted to help me, nobody ever reached out to me. But you guys did, you made me happy. I wanted so desperately to hold onto it, to everything. But he called. My father. He followed me, all the ing way to Seoul. So I caved. I can’t get away from him Yuri. He follows me everywhere. As if getting hit all the time wasn’t enough, he even appears in my ing nightmares. I’ve had enough, I don’t want to live like this anymore.’ Yuri just sits, holding onto the older girl, holding onto her for dear life.

‘Yena, I can’t promise you we can get away from him. It’ll take time, days, years even. But I can promise you this unnie.’ She whispers as she lifts the older girl’s chin, locking their gaze. ‘Someday, all of this will pass and you can be damn sure I’ll be holding your hand tightly, I’ll walk with you unnie. Even through the endless darkness.’

Yuri caresses Yena’s head, bringing her closer, close enough that they can feel one another’s breaths. Foreheads touching, Yuri leans in and plants her lips on Yena’s. For a first kiss, it’s salty, tears and drool were all over their lips but it doesn’t matter. For the two, this is the most comfortable they’ve ever been in their entire lives. Hands clutching tightly, lips connecting softly, this was all Yena ever needed. This is all Yena needs.

28/04/2019

The two woke up together under the blankets, unsure of when exactly they nodded off, but the two woke together and that’s what matters. Yuri feels slightly relieved, they still have to face Yena’s situation somehow, but at least they are safely in each other’s embrace. Yena is perky, she’s resolved to see this through, together with Yuri. The two spend the day lounging around, just purely enjoying the company. Yuri believes she changed the future, she strongly believes she will awake the next day, safely within Yena’s embrace. That night, the two were locked together, hands refusing to leave even an inch between.

29/04/2019

It wasn’t until the sun shined through the curtains that Yuri woke up. The two girls were up much too late the night before and Yuri was dead tired. She climbs out of bed, seeing a letter on the desk, but before she could read it, she notices. Yena is gone. She’s not at the spot she was lying in in the morning, next to Yuri. It’s today. Yuri loses her calm, scrambling through the entire house, screaming for Yena. When she realised she wasn’t home, she rushed for her bicycle, pedaling harshly towards the park. ‘no no no, she has to be there. Yena please. Please don’t do this to me. You have to be there.’ The girl pleads internally. Whipping her phone out while cycling one handed, she dials Hyewon. ‘Unnie, please. Y-you have to help Yena. I don’t know where she went please unnie.’ There was a short silence on the other end of the line, before Hyewon stutters ‘S-. You can’t be for real. you mean, the letter was real?’ ‘Unnie! You got a letter?!’ ‘Y-yea, the contents were so ridiculous, claiming to be from the future. I-I-I just chucked it away’ ‘When did you first receive one?!’ ‘Today. This morning.’ ‘Unnie, I’ve been getting them since we first met Yena. They are real unnie. Yena needs us.’ ‘I’ll get the other girls, they got letters too. We all thought you and Yena were pranking us. Yuri calm down, we’ll find her. Don’t worry’ Hyewon finishes, cutting the call.

Yuri arrives at the park, no Yena in sight. She can feel her head spinning, she can barely breathe. ‘I can’t collapse. Not again, I have to find Yena’ She pushes herself, forcing herself. She’d been searching for hours at this point, rounding the park for the fifth time, but she can’t find her. Calling the police was of no use, all they had to say was that missing persons couldn’t be reported unless they were gone for 24 hours and they weren’t buying the letter story. She’s crouching by the park, head buried within her arms, crying. Yuri feels her phone vibrate, picking it up, what she hears from Hyewon shakes her core. ‘Yuri… calm down and listen to me, we found Yena. We’re at the hospital right now.’ She rushes to the hospital, on her knees in front of the emergency ward. She’s been kneeling for hours, hands clasped, begging the beings above. Yena didn’t attempt suicide, she had returned home in the morning where she was later beaten to half death by her father. He was brought into custody and Yena was rushed to the hospital. Hearing it all brings guilt to Yuri’s heart, she’s blaming herself. ‘If only I held her closer, if only I didn’t sleep, if only I knew better. Please Yena, I’m begging you. Stay with me.’ When the doctor finally comes out, what Yuri hears turns her blood ice cold. She can see her world crumbling before her, tears flooding out once again. Silent screams of pain and anguish are the only sounds she can manage. Yena’s gone. She couldn’t change the future, the 29th of April 2019, it’s once again the last the world sees of Yena.

Yuri wanders around town, ignoring the calls and concerns of her closest friends. She can’t bring herself together, she can’t bring herself to face Yena, to sit herself through the death of the love of her life. She stops at the bridge by the river, looking out to the scenery. Tears could no longer find their out her eyes, she’s all dried up, her tears, her heart. ‘I promised you. I’ll walk with you, all the way through the endless darkness. Take a leap of faith Yuri, take a leap of faith.’ She utters with confidence before the cold breeze brushes upwards across her face, causing the last remaining tear to flow sideways.

To Jo Yuri

I sincerely hope you have managed to change things, that you’ll save Yena today. No, I believe you already have. Stay by her side, protect her, cherish her, do all the things I could never do. You won’t have to live the same way I’ve lived the past 10 years, meaninglessly, everyday a blur of pain. I won’t be able to write to you after today I won’t be writing to you anymore, live a good life with Yena, for me, for yourself. Today is her death anniversary. Today, I’ll take a leap of faith.

From: You